Your New Year’s Resolution… Don’t let injury get in your way!
New Year, new you? Is exercising more and getting fitter on the top of your to do list for 2023? Well, stay here and keep reading because this post is for you!
Almost 50% of people who make a New Year’s resolution resolve to exercise more and get fitter. The sad fact of the matter is that only 10% of people are successful in achieving their goals. There are a tonne of reasons why many don’t succeed in keeping their resolutions and, when doing more exercise is on your list, getting injured can be one of them.
I recently had a client see me in clinic who prompted me to think of all the people looking to get fit in the New Year. He was a man in his mid-thirties, who had taken up running again to get himself back in shape after a year or so off. Unfortunately for him though, just 4 weeks after he started, there he was in the clinic getting assessed for an injury.
So, what happened?
The client reported severe shin pain while walking after just a few weeks of taking up his training. He started by “building up” his running from a couple of kilometres on alternate days to 5km by the weekend. At the end of 3 weeks, he’d reached two 10km run/ walks on 2 consecutive days – at which point he started getting pain.
On assessment, all signs pointed to shin splints – or more specifically, a bone stress injury, a precursor to a stress fracture. This meant that further investigation was needed to confirm his diagnosis and unfortunately, it appeared his running days were over for at least a couple of months.
To go into detail about shin splints and bone stress injuries, requires a whole other post in itself, but for a quick rundown, check out the video below:
Think you might have shin splints or have picked up an injury running? Get expert help & advice.
How can I stop this happening to me?
The good news is that not everyone’s resolutions to get fit end in injury and there are plenty of steps you can take to prevent this from happening.
Rest assured that getting on top of your health and prioritising it for yourself is the best step forward. With our ever-increasing sedentary lifestyles, making sure we engage in physical activity is essential; not only in preventing chronic illness, but also extending life expectancy. The World Health Organisation recommends that adults engage in 150 – 300 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or at least 75 – 150 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week.
Whilst these are good targets to set for yourself, if you haven’t done any exercise in a while, don’t try and go from zero to hero as you’ll likely end up getting injured like our friend in clinic. Just starting to do something is better than nothing and the most significant step you can take.
The key to getting started on your exercise journey this New Year is to build things up gradually, even if you used to get 10km in easily and frequently before. If running isn’t your thing and you prefer lifting weights or you played squash regularly, the same principle applies: take things steadily. That was then, this is now.
Before getting started, take stock and ask yourself the following questions:
How long has it been since I was last exercising on a regular basis?
If your answer to this is 3 weeks or more, you ought to consider graduating yourself back into training rather than jumping straight back in where you left off.
After just 1-2 weeks without exercise, your aerobic fitness starts to decline and at about 3 weeks, so does your muscle strength. This means that your body’s ability to tolerate the same level of exertion isn’t quite up to where you left it. Therefore, it’s natural to need to take a step back and build back up to where you were. Depending on how long you’ve been out of training will influence how long you’ll need to get back into things.
If you’re used to exercise and have had just 3 weeks out, it can take you at least a week (even up to 3 weeks!) to get back to your previous fitness/ strength. However, if you’ve been out for a lot longer it’s advisable to consider taking 6 weeks to reach your first set of goals. After all, 6 weeks is around the time it takes for the physiological adaptations to training to really manifest and take effect (this is often less in more trained individuals).
Have I gained any weight since I was last exercising regularly?
This might seem a sensitive thing to have to consider, but it is genuinely important to recognise. For example, if you’re a runner and you’ve not been exercising for a good while, not only will you have lost some of the strength you had, but if you have gained a few more kilos since you were last running regularly, you’ll now have to carry that extra weight with you which will place more stress to your body as you run.
If this is your case, it’s worth including a strength programme as part of your plan to complement your running plan. This will help you strengthen your muscles, which in turn will help protect your bones and joints from the impact stresses of running. Just to note, running isn’t bad for you, you just need to be strong enough to tolerate the forces and stresses it imposes on your body. This applies to all sporting activities.
Have I had a previous injury?
Previous injury is the greatest predictor of subsequent injury. That might sound a bit obvious, but a lot of people will get an injury and then return to activity without having done any rehabilitation. There is a high probability thereafter, that such individuals will repeat the same injury because they haven’t adequately rehabilitated the injury to cope with the demands of the offending activity.
To reduce your injury risk as you set out on conquering your New Year’s resolution (particularly if you have had a previous injury!), it is advisable to see a top-quality physio. For that, look no further than Olympus Physiotherapy.
We draw on our unrivalled experience and expertise working with World Class athletes to help you stay injury-free and on your track to a fitter, healthier you. Through our comprehensive assessment methods, we can help identify the areas where you may be at an elevated risk of injury and provide you with the correct strategies to mitigate them. This will allow you to progress through your training whilst reducing your risks.
Want to reduce your injury risk of injury? Get an expert assessment and plan.
One final question to ask yourself is:
Do I get enough rest? (i.e. sleep and recovery between sessions)
We know that injuries often tend to occur under fatigue, so without enough sleep and a new exercise regime, you risk developing fatigue and increasing your risk of injury. In athletes, this has been shown to increase risk 1.7 times when sleeping 8 hours or less.
Now, we need to take that with a pinch of salt when applying it to the wider population, but in essence, the message here is that sleep and recovery are important. You need to factor in sleep and rest as part of your new regime to allow your body to recover. Not only does getting enough sleep and recovery time reduce your risk of injury, but it also helps promote the physiological adaptations that occur from your training. So, without enough of it, you risk just wearing yourself into the ground rather than making progress.
Other ways to ensure you’re getting enough recovery in between sessions, aside from sleeping more, is to plan your training. Examples of this can be alternating the days you are working certain muscle groups, or varying the duration and intensity of your workouts.
We’re not quite done… almost there:
If you consider the questions above and take the steps to resolve them, you stand yourself in good stead to keep your New Year’s resolution going and avoiding injury. However, there are a couple of further tips you should know:
Set your goals and measure your progress
We all have different motivations for getting ourselves exercising and ultimately, these are personal to each individual. Just be sure to identify what your goals are and plan Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely (SMART) goals to keep you on track.
When it comes to measuring your goals, select a method that is repeatable, so that you can measure it at intervals and track your progress. E.g. if weight loss is your goal, weigh yourself at the start and then again every couple of weeks of training (try not to concern yourself with it much more than this). Not only will measuring your goals show you you’re making progress, but it’s great for motivation!
Listen to your body and fuel it correctly
It’s no good to exercise your backside off only to then under-fuel or not fuel your body correctly. Make sure you consume enough calories to fuel your goals, eat a balanced, protein-rich diet and don’t be afraid of carbs. We need carbs to help provide the energy to digest the protein we consume: this is used by our bodies as the building blocks for every cell in our bodies.
Remember: not all days are made for breaking records. Our bodies are incredible creations and if you listen to yours well enough, it will tell you what it needs. Feeling tired one day? Maybe dial your planned session back a bit. Feeling hungrier than normal another? Maybe allow yourself a little bit more to eat.
If you’re not sure where to start, get some help
If you don’t know where to start when it comes to getting more active, don’t be afraid to get advice from a qualified health professional. At Olympus Physiotherapy, with our expertise and our great network we are more than well equipped to help you fulfil your goals for and achieve your New Year’s resolution for 2023.
Want help to stay injury-free and on track to succeed in your New Year’s Resolution?